GO Campaign is a national nonprofit organization based in
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, United States, that raises awareness and funds to help
orphan
An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew language, Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages ...
s and vulnerable children in the US and throughout the world. Founded in 2006, the organization supports projects at the
grassroots
A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...
level that bring direct relief to children in need of education and vocational training, medical care, enrichment programs, and basic human rights. The grants are executed by partnering with pioneering local leaders who are delivering local solutions. These are often projects that have not been able to garner the attention of larger grant-making organizations and where small grants can have great impact. In addition to funds, GO Campaign provides capacity-building expertise to help protect the sustainability and longevity of struggling grassroots nonprofits.
Actors
Lily Collins,
Evangeline Lilly,
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...
and
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...
are the organization's official ambassadors.
Background
GO has funded children's programs in over 40 countries ranging from
Haiti
Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...
and
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
to
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
and
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
to
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, impacting over 418,000 children. GO also funds programs for youth in the United States, in rural Mississippi, Chicago, Colorado, New York City, Native American reservations, and in Los Angeles. In April 2020, GO established a COVID-19 emergency fund to funnel donations quickly to address the urgent needs of children and families during the global COVID-19 crisis. Emergency grants from this fund provide food for families with no access to food in India's largest slum, groceries for families who have lost their income in the Watts section of Los Angeles, counseling services for children who have lost loved ones to the virus in Brooklyn NYC, sanitizer and medical supplies to children in a leper colony in Tanzania, home school supplies for children in one of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods, and more.
In September 2020, with funding from Beachbody Foundation, GO Campaign convened several of their local heroes working in the Watts community of Los Angeles and launched two "Safe Zones" to address the school closures of
LAUSD due to COVID. Following all COVID safety precautions, this "Hands Across Watts Initiative" provides academic tutoring, access to the internet, STEM programming, and mental health counseling to children and youth who are at risk of falling behind due to lack of resources in the community.
In 2010,
Malawi
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...
's
William Kamkwamba, author of ''The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind'', was one of four winners of GO Campaign's inaugural GO Ingenuity Award, a financial grant that allows inventors and artists to share ingenuity and invention with youth in developing nations.
In 2013, GO Campaign became the first US nonprofit to directly partner with the
Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, subject of the documentary
Landfill Harmonic.
In 2014, one of GO Campaign's local heroes from
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
,
Kailash Satyarthi
Kailash Satyarthi (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian social reformers of India, social reformer who campaigned against child labor in India and advocated the universal right to education.
In 2014, he was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace ...
, won the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
, while other GO Campaign Local Heroes have been named as CNN Heroes.
GO projects around the world have been featured in
Vogue (magazine)
''Vogue'' (stylized in all caps), also known as American ''Vogue'', is a monthly Fashion journalism, fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers style news, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and Fashion show#Catwalk, runw ...
,
People (magazine)
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the l ...
and
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...
.
To celebrate its 10-year anniversary in 2016, GO's board of directors decided to amplify the work of one of their Tanzanian Local Heroes by committing to building a state-of-the-art centre for autistic and intellectually challenged children in Kilimanjaro. The new Gabriella Rehabilitation Centre opened its doors at the end of 2018, and had its official grand opening in 2019, welcoming children and young adults and their families from all over Africa.
Events
The GO Gala is GO Campaign's annual Hollywood fundraiser. Sponsored by
Beachbody and other corporate sponsors, the event brings together celebrities, project partners from the field, social activists, supporters and top-rate entertainment. On occasion, GO Campaign presents an honoree with the Giving Opportunity Award at the Gala in recognition of their work for children throughout the developing world. Past recipients have included
Cameron Sinclair, founder of
Architecture for Humanity,
Blake Mycoskie, founder of
TOMS Shoes,
Lauren Bush-Lauren and
Ellen Gustafson, founders of
FEED Projects, UN Human Rights Advocate Chris Mburu from the HBO documentary "
A Small Act", and anti-trafficking activist
Ruchira Gupta. The 2011 gala hosted by Ewan McGregor included an online auction including a set visit to the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn movie set and meeting with the film's star
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...
which sold for $80,000. In 2011,
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Murray Redstone ( Rothstein; May 27, 1923 – August 11, 2020) was an American billionaire businessman and media magnate. He was the founder and chairman of the second incarnation of Viacom, chairman of CBS Corporation (both companies m ...
donated $100,000 to GO Campaign for the building of two new schools in Cambodia.
At the 2012 GO GO Gala co-hosted by
Mike White, the grandchildren of
Robert F. Kennedy presented Redstone with a special gift from Cambodia in recognition of his generosity. To date, Redstone has donated $350,000 to GO Campaign's efforts to help children around the world.
The 2013 Gala was hosted by
Adam Shankman
Adam Michael Shankman (born November 27, 1964) is an American film director, producer, writer, dancer, author, actor, and choreographer. He was a permanent judge on seasons 6–7 of the television program ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV ...
and featured performances by
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her Melissa Etheridge (album), eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billbo ...
,
Beth Behrs, and
Dermot Mulroney, and guests included
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...
who was the high bidder on a cello made from recycled trash in Paraguay. Pattinson made a repeat appearance at the 2015 Gala, which was hosted by
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...
. Guests at the event included
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...
,
Vin Diesel,
Kate Hudson
Kate Garry Hudson (born April 19, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Born to singer Bill Hudson (singer), Bill Hudson and actress Goldie Hawn, Hudson made her film debut in the 1998 drama ''Desert Blue'', which was followed by supporting ...
and
Julia Ormond. The 2016 Gala featured a performance by Jackson Browne.
2017 Gala guests included
Gal Gadot and
Lily Collins.
2018's Gala speakers included Fifer, Pattinson, Collins, and
Evangeline Lilly. The 2019 Gala was hosted by
Robert Pattinson
Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson (born 13 May 1986) is an English actor. #Filmography, His filmography often sees him portraying eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Known for starring in both major studio productions and in ...
with a musical performance by
Aloe Blacc
Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III (born January 7, 1979), known professionally as Aloe Blacc (), is an American singer and rapper. He is known for his guest performance on Avicii's 2013 single "Wake Me Up (Avicii song), Wake Me Up", which peaked on ...
and with guests
John David Washington,
Rami Malek
Rami Said Malek (; , ; born May 12, 1981) is an American actor. He is known for portraying computer hacker Elliot Alderson in the USA Network television series '' Mr. Robot'' (2015–2019), for which he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Ou ...
,
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...
, and
Emily Ratajkowski
Emily O'Hara Ratajkowski ( , ; born June 7, 1991) is an American model and actress. Born in London to American parents and raised in Encinitas, California, she signed to Ford Models at a young age. Her modeling debut was on the cover of the Mar ...
attending.
The Gala also featured the auction of two Vandal Gummy sculptures by artist
WhIsBe as part of GO's work to raise awareness of gun violence against children in America.
The 2020 Gala was virtual and raised money for COVID-19 relief across the globe and for racial equality projects for youth across the USA. Hosted by GO's 3 ambassadors, the online Gala also featured
Evangeline Lilly,
Heidi Klum,
HAIM
Haim can be a first name or surname originating in Hebrew or derived from the Old German name Haimo.
Etymology Hebrew
Chayyim ( ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciat ...
,
David Foster
David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...
,
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American actress and singer. In May 2006, she was the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.''
Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records in January 2007, and debuted at n ...
,
Judith Hill,
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (born November 28, 1984) is an American actress and singer. Her first major role was that of Jessica Bennett (Passions), Jessica Bennett on the NBC soap opera ''Passions'' (1999–2000). She came to wider attention for h ...
and French Thyme. 2021's virtual Gala included performances by
Sia,
MILCK,
Jewel, a duet from Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and a performance by Levi Evans. Sponsors included
Beachbody,
Dior
Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...
,
Lancome,
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
, and
Warner Media among others.
Smaller events have included GO Rocks at the Roxy, where youth bands take the stage along with accomplished artists such as
Glenn Frey
Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American musician. He was a founding member of the rock band Eagles, for whom he was the co-lead singer and frontman, roles he came to share with fellow member Don Henley, with ...
,
Ziggy Marley
David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is the son of Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 2002, with whom he released eight studio albums. After ...
,
Don Was
Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was (), is an American musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as president of the ...
and
Dennis Quaid
Dennis William Quaid (born April 9, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his starring roles in '' Breaking Away'' (1979), '' The Right Stuff'' (1983), '' The Big Easy'' (1986), '' Innerspace'' (1987), '' Great Balls of Fire!'' (1989), ' ...
; Cars & Casino hosted at TLC/ICON 4x4 (attended by
Phoebe Dahl and then fiancée
Ruby Rose
Ruby Rose Langenheim (born 20 March 1986) is an Australian actress, television presenter, and model. She gained prominence for her role in Orange Is the New Black season 3, season three of the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2015� ...
in 2014 and hosted by
Joel McHale
Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an American actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for hosting ''The Soup'' (2004–2015) and his role as Jeff Winger, Jeffrey "Jeff" Winger on the NBC sitcom ''Community (TV seri ...
in 2015; and hosted events at Soho House West Hollywood. In 2014,
Ewan McGregor
Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...
and his wife hosted an event for GO Campaign at FIKA NYC in Manhattan to celebrate his Broadway debut in The Real Thing.
In 2015, artist
Shepard Fairey
Frank Shepard Fairey (born February 15, 1970) is an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989, he designed the " Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (...OBEY...) sticker campa ...
, who frequently deejays at the GO GO Gala, created a GO Campaign t-shirt for his company OBEY with profits from the shirts being donated to GO Campaign.
In 2015, McGregor and Pattinson became official ambassadors of GO Campaign. They were joined by
Lily Collins in 2018, making her the first female ambassador of the organization.
In 2017, Facebook and Oculus announced that GO Campaign was selected by as one of only ten international charities to be championed in the 'VR for Good Creators Lab', with GO Campaign's work to be featured in an upcoming virtual film. The resulting film "Children Do Not Play War" was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2019.
In 2018,
Lupita Nyong'o posted on social media that GO Campaign was "near and dear to my heart". Included among GO Campaign's many projects is the SOM Chess Academy in Uganda, the subject of the Disney film ''
Queen of Katwe''. Nyong'o also spoke at the 2021 GO Campaign virtual Gala, celebrating GO's 15 year anniversary.
In December 2021, Robert Pattinson announced an auction on Omaze to benefit GO Campaign, the winner meeting him at the red carpet premiere of his movie ''
The Batman'' in February 2022.
The 2022 Gala was hosted in downtown Los Angeles by Lily Collins with sponsors including
Netflix
Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
,
Dior
Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior, is a French Multinational corporation, multinational luxury goods company that is controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. , Dior controlled around 42% of ...
, Discovery Warner,
Lancôme,
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...
, and the Congdon Family Foundation among others. The evening highlighted GO's work for inner-city youth from Watts to Chicago.
GO's 2023 GO Gala was hosted by Robert Pattinson. Attendees included
Suki Waterhouse, Lupita Nyong'o and
Robin Wright, among others. Sponsors included Morphus, Dior, Warner Bros. Discovery, Lancôme, Urban Mystic and others. The evening featured GO's Local Heroes from Watts and from the Congo.
In November 2023, GO was the charitable beneficiary of the launch of a new annual design event, Icons of Design. The event, held at Hagerty Garage in LA, featured creative independent brands including artists and artisans, fashion, footwear, watches, jewelry, antiques, all offering unique and one-of-a-kind merchandise on exhibit and for sale, with a portion going to the charity. The event also featured top automotive and motorcycle brands and custom vehicle shops displaying their unique cars and motorcycles.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Go Campaign
Charities based in California
Children's rights organizations in the United States
Children's charities based in the United States